Scribner Seminar ProgramCourse Description

Human - Nature

Instructor(s): Josh Ness, Biology

Naturalist John Muir asserts that "the clearest way into the Universe is through a
forest wilderness." In this course, students explore how humans interrogate and interpret
the natural world, and revise their understanding of their position in the world based
on that effort. These discoveries can elicit feelings of awe; a response we explore
by examining cultures living in the presence of man-eating predators, the interpretations
of the supernatural world invoked in the Christian Gospels and the scientific methodology
– arguably the most effective tool for understanding the world. Ultimately, we combine
discussions of film and readings, hikes and scientific research in Skidmore's 300
acre North Woods to explore 1) our desire to understand our place in nature, 2) our
construction of stories and logical arguments to explain nature, and 3) how these
responses evolve over time.